One Last Chance
by UltimateOtakuGirl100
Summary: Kagome has been sealed on the other side of the well for over a hundred years. Inuyasha almost gives up... when a certain legendary priestess comes back from the dead to tell him something important. With one last chance to be with the one he loves, will he be able to receive it, or will it slip from his grasp once again? Genres may change later, InuKag!
1. Prologue

**A/N: Yo, Inuyasha fans! I, UltimateOtakuGirl100, have returned again, and with another Inuyasha fanfic! ^.^ **

**I'll admit, I was hesitant to write this when I first came up with the idea. It seemed… kinda tragic. I don't do tragic. I do happy endings and romance and adventures and _happy_ stuff, even though I throw in conflict and stuff (what good writer doesn't?). But regardless, my mind kept returning to the idea, and adding to it, and when I recently finished the Inuyasha series and The Final Act, I suddenly knew how this was going to play out. **

**And, I promise you, it isn't a tragedy fic. **

**Although it will seem kinda… _dark _at the beginning, don't be fooled; read the entire chapter before you go away, please. Thank you.**

**Before anyone asks, OF COURSE I don't own the cover. How could I? **

**And finally, this will be the first story where I (try to) put a song recommendation for that chapter every chapter, having it fit in with the story. So, read on! **

**Song rec for this chapter: _Back to Your Heart_, by Backstreet Boys**

* * *

I lay on my back, drained, gazing forlornly at the sky. It was raining heavily, which seemed quite fitting, considering my downcast mood. The clouds were a dark gray, but quite frankly, they could've been _purple_ and I still couldn't have cared less. All that I could see now were black and red—blood red.

The rain dripped down my face, but I didn't care. The only thought that went through my mind right then was, _Why? _

I stood up shakily, but I felt numb. Mindless, even. Trembling, I walked past a puddle, and saw my own dull eyes reflected back at me before I continued on; my face had looked just as empty as I felt.

I felt my silver-white hair cling to my face, and my ears were flattened against my head so much that they'd practically melded into my hair. Nonetheless, I trudged onwards, my mind blank.

Again, one word danced through my mind: _Why? _

I could still see her face in my mind. Her beautiful, forgiving, caring face… no, none of those words could do her justice. In fact, it was so real, I felt like I could reach out and caress her pale yet lovely face. But no, it was an illusion; it disappeared with the rain, much like she did all those years ago.

I knew that she was never coming back. Ever. The days had turned into weeks, then into months, then years. Regardless, a small part of my mind wished desperately for her to return, even though I knew even then that I was lying to myself. But now… even that small part of my mind, that tiny fragment of hope, had vanished.

_One hundred years. _That's how long she'd been gone. A hundred years. Even if, by some miracle, the well started working again, I would never see her again. A human, despite her incredible powers, could never last that long. I knew it, my heart knew it, and I felt heavy, lifeless. _She's gone… _

Why did it always turn out this way? With Kikyo, who I'd once thought I loved, I was ready to become a human and live with her. But then Naraku came along… no, not just him. The Shikon Jewel came along and cursed us to fight, to betray each other, and Kikyo died after sealing me to a tree. Now, the Shikon Jewel had worked its magic again; only this time, it had managed to tear me away from the one I _truly _loved by sending her five hundred years to the future, forever. Then the well stopped working.

I don't know why I even lied to myself for this long. A hundred years is hard to accomplish, even for a priestess like herself. I'd only seen one human, ever, who'd lived a hundred years without demon support—Old Kaede—but even she died on her hundredth birthday. Inuyasha, face it—she's gone. The one you love is _gone. _

Miroku and Sango had long since died, and their children were old and withered. I'd distracted myself years ago with demon-slaying and protecting Miroku and Sango's family, but that time had passed.

I dragged my legs through the mud, not caring that my Fire Rat Robe was covered in filth. It didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered. She was gone.

I tripped over a root sticking out of the ground and face-planted in the wet soil. I was forced to remember other times that I'd face-planted into the ground, but imagining it… it hurt. Imagining her, even flustered and angry, hurt. But I buried the feeling under the emptiness I felt and continued on.

Sesshomaru and Rin were somewhere else, probably enjoying life. Rin, whose life had expanded widely due to mating with my half-brother, looked too much like _she _had all those years ago, and so I avoided my brother and sister-in-law as much as possible.

Because… she… was gone…

Suddenly, the pain flooded through my body, and I toppled over again, clutching my chest. I gasped loudly in pain, and then rolled over onto my back, still panting.

I reached for the sword at my side limply, still lying on the ground, and unsheathed Tetsuseiga. It pulsed, and I felt it resisting, telling me no, but I ignored it. _If I can't be with you… then I'll follow you in death… _

"Tetsuseiga," I whispered, determined now, "you are the sword that protects…" Tetsuseiga fought harder, shaking, and repeatedly sending the same message into my brain, but I wasn't fazed. It was over for me.

I narrowed my eyes and tightened my grip on the sword's hilt. "So, please, protect me from one last thing…" I could see how she'd looked the last time I saw her; sad, fearful, desperate and lonely, watching as I disappeared into the well against my will. I supposed that it was my mind, trying everything to prevent me from going through with this, that had conjured this image. So be it. I wouldn't falter, I needed to see her again, even in the next world.

I held Tetsuseiga tightly, pointing it downwards at myself. "Protect me from this pain of being without her!"

And I conjured all my might and thrust my own sword at myself.

"_Wait." _

My hands froze. No, like, literally, _froze. _Tetsuseiga was just barely over my chest, dangling in my hands, but I couldn't move. My whole being was paralyzed.

Then the land around me disappeared. Everything. I was suddenly floating in a white nothingness, my arms limp at my sides and my Tetsuseiga somehow back in its sheath. _Wh…What the…?! _

"_Hello, Inuyasha." _

I spun around, shocked and angry, and made eye contact with a woman. A priestess, she looked like. Her unyielding eyes bore into me.

I wasn't fazed.

"Who are you?!" I demanded furiously, glaring at her angrily.

The woman smiled. _"I am the priestess who destroyed countless demons in an attempt to protect the land. I am the priestess whose life was taken in the same battle. I am the priestess who created the Shikon Jewel over a thousand years ago. I am known as Midoriko." _

I stared, shocked. "Midoriko?!" I repeated, taken aback.

Midoriko continued to smile, a little wider now, and nodded.

My eyes widened in disbelief. "B-but I thought you went to heaven after the Shikon Jewel was destroyed…!" I stuttered, overwhelmed.

Her smile faltered momentarily, but then returned when she replied, _"Yes. It is true. When your beloved made the wish on the Jewel, my soul was saved." _She paused as she appeared to be having a pleasant memory, while I winced at the mention of _her _and particularly how she referred to her._ "However,"_ she continued, _"I returned to this world momentarily to prevent you from making a grave mistake." _

I remembered myself at this and glared. "It's no 'mistake'," I spat.

Midoriko chuckled lightly. _"Inuyasha," _she said, voice tinged with mild humor, _"She of Another Time is not lost." _

My anxiety vanished. "Wh…What?" I breathed.

Midoriko's gaze continued to linger on my face, humor gone but still looking mildly happy, and she continued. _"Don't misunderstand me. She, in the way you knew her, is no more—at least, you will never see her again." _

I'd gotten my hopes up despite myself, and now they came crashing down. Disappointed as I might be, I couldn't help but be confused.

Seeing my confusion, she explained, _"When She of Another Time was first dragged into the well and entered our time, it resulted in a… time paradox, shall we say." _

My eyes narrowed. "Don't talk about her like she made a mistake!" I shouted angrily.

To my surprise, she laughed. _"Inuyasha, I mean no offense, nor is it my intention to seem to direct anger at your beloved." _I continued to stare in bewilderment. _"Believe you me, this isn't the first time something like this has happened. Leaping through time is actually more sought-after than one might think. Time isn't a straight line; it can bend itself into all sorts of different twists and turns and shapes. It was going to happen, and even if she hadn't, another would have. Now," _she went on, _"as I was saying, it resulted in a time paradox of sorts, and time was split; one timeline was her world, and another timeline hosted your travels." _

I stared blankly, struggling to understand.

"_Afterwards, when she completed her mission, she was sealed on the other side of the well." _

I narrowed my eyes in annoyance. "So, did you do all this to give me a science lesson, or is there a point to all this?"

Midoriko laughed good-naturedly. _"Of course. See, while she was sealed on her side of the well, on your side, you'd already met her. You knew her, a girl of the future. That in and of itself was part of the time paradox. That's where _I_ come in." _

Even more confused now, I waited for her to continue.

"_Did you ever consider to _wait _out the time difference?" _

I blinked. No, I'd never thought about that… I'd always been so focused on the well re-activating that I never really thought about what could happen if I'd waited 500 years… it seemed so obvious now… I felt stupid.

"_I didn't think so. But, you see, in this timeline, you are aware of her presence. In hers, you've been in hiding for years after breaking the seal of your _own_ power. But that's not important. What matters is that you have the chance to meet her again." _

My heart skipped a beat.

"_You can wait out the time. Watch her grow again. Befriend her and her family, without the difference in time. However…" _Midoriko hesitated, looking concerned. I waited, but excitement and determination fought its way to the surface. She continued. _"However… things may not turn out the way you hope." _I patiently awaited an explanation. _"We're messing with time. Time is unpredictable; I cannot know if things will turn out positively, or if your beloved… will not feel the same way in this timeline." _

A pang went through me, but I thought a moment and it disappeared. "It doesn't matter… Midoriko, please…" I looked at her pleadingly. "Please allow me to see her again."

Midoriko smiled again, this time much wider than before, and she vanished. The white disappeared, and I was once again lying on the ground, soaked, holding my sword barely above me. It was like it had never happened.

But I lifted my sword and sheathed it. I stood up with determination.

There was no way I was going to die now.

"I swear to you," I muttered under my breath, "I will see you again. And I will protect you with my life." I looked up at the sky, and fittingly, it was no longer raining—it had died down to a light drizzle. I could wait out the time—four hundred years. I would watch for the Higurashi family for the next four centuries. Then I would be able to protect her…

I then shouted my promise into the wind. "I will return to you, Kagome!"

* * *

**A/N: So, like it? I certainly did ;D Writing it, I mean. **

**Anyway, so, this story was just a result of some really deep thinking by yours truly (and a week of boredom and slight depression). I was watching an episode one day and suddenly thought, "Hey, wouldn't traveling through time like that cause a time paradox?" and later, "If that happened… would it create a split timeline?" Thus, this was born. **

**Moving on, if you like this story, PLEASE review! Reviews are like discovering a big bag of candy in your purse when you're starving. Right then, at that very moment, you wouldn't trade anything in the world for it… except maybe a million dollars. ;) Of course, we all know this is a fanfiction, so I'm not getting paid. So… reviews are a welcome substitute! **


	2. You Are Kagome

**A/N: Whew! Done! I'm so happy! :D **

**Anyway, this came out quicker than expected. This chapter practically wrote itself (key word "practically"—it was a little tricky trying to portray some parts). I'm thrilled that it worked out like this, because it's rare that I update so quickly (people who have read my other stories will probably agree). **

**And I skipped over the 400-year wait. I know you're all gonna be like, "Whoa, hey, what about all that pain and suffering and stuff?! I thought this was a Hurt/Comfort fic!" And it is. It's just that I was impatient, and from this point on, it will trade off between the Hurt part of that and the Comfort part. (The majority being the Comfort part in these next few chapters.) Don't worry, there will be several references to that wait in the future. **

**Okay, I'm sure that you're tired of my blabbing, so I'll stop here! Read on! **

**Song rec: _Falling Back, _by Michael Boyd **

* * *

**~~Normal POV, Alternating Locations~~**

Inuyasha dashed through the woods around Higurashi shrine, moving faster and with more anticipation than he'd had for centuries. His golden eyes were wide with both shock and determination as he dashed out of the forest and through the city.

_I… I can smell her! _

* * *

Mrs. Higurashi held the bawling infant, now only a few minutes old, wrapped in a bundle, in her arms.

She still hadn't decided on a name for the baby, even though she'd tried. She wanted something new and unique, that would set her new daughter apart from all the "Yuri"s and "Sakura"s.

Mrs. Higurashi, still drained, gazed at her daughter. _What should I call you…? _she wondered, racking her brain.

Then she saw something shining in her peripheral vision. _Oh…? _

* * *

Inuyasha leapt in front of the hospital doors, sliding into a sharp turn before dashing through, shoving the doors open in moments before racing to the front desk. He skidded to a stop, surprising the woman behind the counter.

"Which room is Mrs. Higurashi's?!" he demanded in a rush, towering over the poor lady.

Maybe a bit frightened by his abruptness but collected nonetheless (probably assuming he was a husband or something who was running late), she answered, "Room 137."

He nodded quickly, either in understanding or thanks (but really, who can ever tell with him?), and then abruptly turned and ran off in the direction of the halls, leaving the poor woman in the dust, blinking in confusion.

* * *

Mrs. Higurashi looked down and saw the source of the strange, pink, glowing light. She blinked, seeing it coming from _inside _her daughter. Having lived on a shrine, she was more or less used to being able to see things that others could not, but still… she'd never seen anything quite like this.

And yet she smiled. _This must be a good omen, _she thought happily, imagining the blessings her new daughter would receive as she grew older. She glanced at her husband, who crouched by her bed a short distance away, and they made eye contact briefly, both smiling, before she looked back at her daughter.

Then, suddenly, a thought struck her.

* * *

Inuyasha dashed through the hallways, glancing at the numbers of the numerous doors he passed.

_101… 103… 105… _he counted, looking at the doors as he passed them and, in his over-focused state, surprising a doctor holding a clipboard. The man leapt out of the way in surprise as the half-demon sped through the hallways.

_113… 117… 119… _He nearly gave an elderly doctor a heart attack (I know, how ironic) as he ran through the corridor at inhuman speeds.

_127… 131… 135… 137! 137! _Inuyasha skid to a stop, his bare feet screeching against the tile.

* * *

Mrs. Higurashi recognized the shape of the light. It reminded her of that game, that shape, it was…

"Kagome," she told her child. "Your name is Kagome. Ka-go-me."

For a mere moment, the infant continued to cry, and the light seemed to shine a little brighter than before.

_SLAM! _

* * *

A boy in a red kimono with silver-white hair, golden eyes and… a baseball cap or something on his head **(A/N: Ha, that would be why no one was commenting on his ears. You were wondering about that, weren't you?) **stood in the now open door, gasping for breath.

There was silence for a few minutes, except for the man's gasps for breath. Even the baby Kagome had stopped crying and, with her wide, curious new eyes, stared at the multi-colored, blurred figure.

Then, after what seemed like an eternity to those in the room, the silver-haired, golden-eyed teenager (in looks, anyway) fell to the ground in an awkward bow, surprising the family.

His hair covered the front of his face as he introduced himself rather forwardly, "My name is Inuyasha. You don't know me, but I know you. You can make me a personal slave, or a servant, or make me do whatever you want, but please," he looked up here, revealing his pleading golden eyes, "allow me to stay with your family and protect your daughter!"

Silence.

Uncomfortable silence.

More uncomfortable silence.

Extremely uncomfortable silence.

A very, very, very extended period of uncomfortable silence.

Inuyasha gulped. Man, was _that _the wrong thing to say. _Oh, boy, I'm so very, very screwed. _

"Heh…" Mrs. Higurashi's face contorted in a strange expression. "Heheh…" Then she burst out laughing full-force.

…_Or… not…? _

Then Mr. Higurashi, after a few seconds, joined in on the laughter, and then both Mrs. Higurashi and Mr. Higurashi were laughing heartily, leaving both Inuyasha and little Kagome stared in confusion (Kagome more curious than confused).

After a few minutes of this, they calmed down a bit. After Mrs. Higurashi had (mostly) caught her breath, she wiped tears from her eyes and told the gaping half-demon, "Oh… Inuyasha, was it? Oh, Inuyasha, boy, I don't know who you are or where you came from, but of _course_ you can stay with us. You don't have to be so dramatic about it. I'd like you to tell us a bit about you while we go back to our house, but…" She became serious. "I can see you're a good person. I don't know why you're so desperate to take care of my daughter, but I've had years and years of experience judging character, and I can see you don't have malicious or selfish intent."

Inuyasha visibly relaxed. He hesitantly stood up, unsure, and stared at the infant in Mrs. Higurashi's arms.

The infant's shining, wide, chocolate-brown eyes held his gaze wonderingly. She was no longer crying, and her face wasn't quite as red. Her tiny fists were held close to her face as she sniffled a bit.

Inuyasha's face became tender, and noticeably gentler.

_Thank you, Midoriko… for allowing me to protect Kagome…I promise I won't let your efforts go to waste. _

"I promise, I'll protect you, Kagome," he whispered, much too quiet for a human's ears to hear.

But, strangely enough, the baby Kagome held his gaze steadily and smiled cutely, almost as if she understood him.

* * *

**A/N: Haha, strange ending, but I was lazy. And my sister rushed me so we could watch Ranma ½ (lol I know, I know—I am guilty of fangirl-ness). Who cares though?**

**Anyway, I've got three words: review, review, and REVIEW! **


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